Tribological behaviour of MoS2/Au coatings

This study aims to enhance the endurance of MoS2 coating by applying a thin layer of Au (similar to 80 nm) on MoS2 surface. Experimental results show that the addition of Au film increases the endurance of MoS2/Au over equivalent coatings without Au. The friction coefficient rapidly decreases to a stable value (mu similar to 0.045) after about 100 cycles sliding. After more than 15,000 cycles, the friction coefficient gradually increased to a second stable value (mu similar to 0.15). An average endurance of over 50,000 cycles was measured in this case. The Au or Au-MoS2 composite layer can effectively prevent oxygen or moisture reaction with MoS2 and hence significantly increases the wear life. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.